Vowels
(ٱلْحُرُوفُ الْعِلَّةِ)
There are two types of vowels in Arabic:
- Short Vowels
- Long Vowels
Short Vowels
There are 3 types of short vowels:
| Short Vowel / Harakaat (حَرَكَات) | Name (Arabic Script) | Name | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ــَـ | فَتْحَة | fat-ha | a | بَ – ba |
| ــُـ | ضَمَّة | dammah | u | بُ – bu |
| ــِـ | كَسْرَة | kasrah | i | بِ – bi |
Each consonant letter can carry a short vowel
A letter that carries a فَتْحَة is referred to as مَفْتُوحٌ.
A letter that carries a ضَمَّة is referred to as مَضْمُومٌ.
A letter that carries a كَسْرَة is referred to as مَكْسُورٌ.
Long Vowels
Long vowels are used for elongation:
| Long Vowel | Name (Arabic Script) | Name | Long Vowel with Preceding Harakaat | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ا | أَلِفْ | alif | ـَـا | aa | قَا – qaa |
| ى | أَلِفْ مَقْصُورَة | alif maqṣurah | ـَـى | aa | تَى – taa |
| و | وَاو | waw | ـُـو | uu | ذُو – zuu |
| ي | يَاء | ya | ـِـي | ii | فِي – fii |
| ى | أَلِفْ مَقْصُورَة | alif maqṣurah | ـِـى | ii | فِى – fii |
Sometimes dagger alif (a smaller alif) is written above a consonant:
| Symbol | Name (Arabic Script) | Name | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ــٰـ | أَلِف خَنْجَرِيَّة | alif khanjariyyah | aa | بَىٰ – baa |
e.g. ىٰ : this shows أَلِفْ مَقْصُورَة with أَلِف خَنْجَرِيَّة.